Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American seniors are disproportionately enrolled in Medicare “Advantage.” The industry claims that seniors of color must be well-served by these plans if they are signing up in high numbers, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, corporate health insurers are perpetuating, and even aggravating, racial health inequities among seniors.
Groundbreaking report on racial inequities in Medicare Advantage
Physicians for a National Health Program has published a damning report, “No Real Choices: How Medicare Advantage Fails Seniors of Color.” This report shows that, while these seniors are drawn to Medicare “Advantage” by lower premiums, they are routinely offered lower quality plans, face higher rates of prior authorization denials, and suffer worse health outcomes than their white counterparts.
Thankfully, there are commonsense solutions to these inequities, one of which is to reclaim the billions of dollars in annual overpayments to corporate insurers and invest those funds in traditional Medicare. That way, nobody will feel compelled to sign up for inadequate coverage for short-term financial reasons.
Watch the “No Real Choices” overview
Ready to take action? Schedule meetings with your U.S. House representative and your U.S. senators and urge them to both crack down on Medicare Advantage profiteering and make necessary improvements to the Traditional Medicare program. You can call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to get started. Questions? Email organizer@pnhp.org.